


Thieving is Heresy

by Veozar



Category: Heretical Edge - Cerulean, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Crossover, F/F, Fans from either series can follow along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-13 00:59:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17478266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veozar/pseuds/Veozar
Summary: Felicity Chambers wasn't expecting much when she went to Brooklyn. It was nothing more than a forced relocation due to a corrupt politician arresting her father. When she discovers a strange world known as the Metaverse, and learns that she possesses an ability known as the Wild Card, she'll see that there was far more to her new home than she thought. Persona 5/Heretical Edge.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Since Heretical Edge is no doubt the less known side of this crossover, here's a brief plot summary for anyone who wants it. Though keep in mind my goal is to make this story friendly to fans of either franchise.
> 
> Heretical Edge follows Felicity Chambers, who goes by Flick. At the start of her junior year of highschool, she is invited to a school of monster hunters known as Crossroads. Turns out only Heretics can detect the monsters that prey on humanity, known as Strangers. Flick and her classmates are the next generation, but with forces plotting in the background, they'll have to face a lot more in just their first year than they signed up for.
> 
> Thieving is Heresy will take place in the Persona universe, but it will use a large portion of the Heretical Edge cast. You can read this no matter which fandom you are coming from, though I highly recommend checking out both stories, as they are some of my favorite stories in existence.

**Chapter 1**

  
**10/4/17**

Flick yawned as she stepped off the bus. It was still mid-afternoon in Brooklyn, but that was only because she'd gotten up early to catch a flight from Wyoming. The effects of which had been made clear when she'd nearly slept through her stop. That was the last thing she wanted to deal with today.

_At least I made it._  She had been dropped off at a dry cleaners not far from the apartment she'd be staying at. Before making her way there, Flick pulled out her phone to text her new guardian that she'd arrived.

Except before she could make the call, one of the apps on her phone expanded. One that she was sure she didn't recognize. What sort of app had a pulsing red eye as its icon?

Unsure of what else to do, Flick pressed the icon.

Everything froze. The people walking around her, the cars rumbling down the streets, the wind pushing her blonde ponytail back, they were all silent and still. Flick's first thought, strangely, was that she'd never heard true silence before.

Except not everything was silent. Directly in front of her was a giant, gold and red fox, glowing with a golden aura. It grinned at her, before vanishing. At the same time, everything else began moving, and Flick had to stumble forward before the crowd made her fall over.

_What was that? Am I seeing things?_  She must have had less sleep than she'd thought.

Just in case, she deleted the strange app from her phone. With it gone, she dialed the number that had been given to her.

It took two rings for a man to pick up with a, " _Hello?_ "

"Mr. Mason?" Flick asked. "It's Flick."

" _Oh! Hi, Flick. Are you in New York?_ "

"I am. I should be outside the apartment building in a few minutes."

" _Got it. I just started preparing dinner. Do you mind if I send Sands down to collect you?_ "

Sands? Oh, right, one of Mr. Mason's twins.

"That's fine," Flick said. "See you soon."

With that, she hung up and began to make her way over. Other than having to stop a few times before crossing the street, the walk was simple. Outside the apartment building, a pretty brunette with long, straight hair and the same brown eyes as Flick leaned against a wall. She was looking around, as though searching for someone.

"Are you Sands?" Flick asked, walking up to her.

The girl perked up. "Hey! Felicity, right?"

"I prefer Flick," Flick said, holding out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

Sands shook it. "Come on. Scout will want to meet you!" With that, she pulled Flick inside the building and to the apartment.

The apartment itself was bigger than Flick had been expecting. There was a kitchen to the right of the entrance, with a living room straight ahead, containing a closet on the side opposite of the kitchen. To Flick's left was a hallway with three doors, one of which was open to show the bedroom inside.

Some siblings liked to divide a room they shared. Not these two. The desk in the room was ridiculously long, taking up the entire wall. There were two chairs side by side against it, letting both girls use it at once. On the other side of the room was a bunk bed, with a nearby bookshelf that was stacked with books in seemingly no pattern. All that left just enough space in the room for a dresser and closet.

The walls themselves were painted purple, with a few certificates hanging in the corner. They seemed to be school awards, some for Sands and some for Scout.

Just looking at the room was enough for Flick to tell how close the twins were. It was that thought which caused a pain in her chest. She missed Tabbris.

At the bottom bunk sat a girl who looked nearly identical to Sands, though her hair covered some of her face.

"This is Scout," Sands said, walking up to the bed. Scout whispered something in her ear. "She says hello."

Flick raised an eyebrow, but let the unusual form of communication pass. "Hey, Scout," she said. "I should probably go talk to your dad."

"Right," Sands said. "Trust us, he's awesome. You can talk with him about anything."

"I'll keep that in mind," Flick said. When she stepped outside, Mr. Mason glanced her way from the kitchen, before returning to the food he was preparing.

"Welcome to our home, Flick," he said. "Sands and Scout haven't bullied you yet, have they?"

"Um, no?"

"Good." He put whatever he had been setting up into the oven. "Because that would go against everything I've taught them."

He straightened, stepping away from the stove to face Flick. "Sorry we don't have enough space. Do you mind the couch?" He gestured to the living room, where the couch sat across from the television, with a round table on either side of it.

Flick shook her head. "No, sir. It's fine." Her stuff was already set up in the living room, suitcases under the tables. A small closet had been rolled in for her on the far end of the room.

"Call me Liam," he said. "You're living with me, so you might as well."

"Alright," Flick said. "So . . . what's for dinner tonight?"

Liam laughed. "How does macaroni sound? It will be ready in an hour."

Flick gave him a look. "What kind of macaroni takes an hour to make?

Liam winked. "The best kind."

****

  
He was right. This  _was_ the best kind of macaroni. It was so good, that Flick would win a silent contest with Scout at this rate, due to how busy she was stuffing herself with food.  
  
The other three sitting at the counter in the kitchen all looked terribly amused. "I suppose that means you like it, then?" Liam asked.  
  
"Mhmm!" Flick confirmed, not pausing in her eating to respond. She did stop after the following swallow to ask a question. "Do you guys usually have this?"  
  
Sands shrugged. "Sometimes. Really, the hardest part is getting this old man to make it for us." She jabbed a fork in Liam's direction.  
  
Liam, for his part, grabbed her plate, which was still half full. "I guess if you're not grateful, you can always have last night's leftovers."  
  
Sands' eyes widened. "I mean this young, clever, perfect father! I love you, Dad."  
  
Liam rolled his eyes, but he put the plate back in front of Sands, who pulled it closer to her body before she continued eating.  
  
"I'm surprised you haven't had it before, Flick," Liam said. "I showed your father the recipe." He shook his head. "I bet that mountain man forgot it again."  
  
The reminder of her dad made her face twist up. Suddenly, the food didn't taste so pleasant.  
  
Liam winced. "Sorry. Look, I'm talking to some connections, and I think we can get his charges dropped. It's just going to take some time."  
  
"He shouldn't be in jail in the first place," she spat. "He wouldn't be, if my bitch of a mother had spoken up for him."  
  
Yeah, apparently Flick hadn't been the only one unsatisfied with how her mother had packed her things and taken off with some random dude years ago. Her dad had never stopped searching, and he'd finally found her several weeks ago. Only to learn that the guy she'd taken off with was a politician with loads of dirty secrets. Corrupt didn't even begin to describe him.  
  
With enough digging, Dad had been able to publish an article on the scumbag, hoping to take away his position as a governor in California. Being a few states away hadn't stopped him.  
  
Nor had it stopped the asshole from using all his connections to have her dad arrested for slander. And all the while, the woman whom Flick had once considered a mother remained silent.  
  
It only got worse from there, with some beginning to question whether Dad should keep any custody of his kids when he got out. That was still undecided, so for now, Flick was living with Liam Mason, a friend of Dad's she saw maybe once as a child.  
  
It was worse for Tabbris. Some were talking about putting her back in the adoption system. The thought was enough to make Flick's nails dig into her palm.  
  
So yeah. Flick reasonably wanted to punch two people in the face.  
  
"Who is the guy, anyway?" Sands asked. "Shouldn't some of his competitors been able to find corruption or something?"  
  
Liam sighed. "It's a bit more complicated than that. Joey Fossor is a powerful and well loved politician. Even if some secrets get dug up, a large portion of the public would just deny it."  
  
"What?!" Sands exclaimed. "How does that make any sense?"  
  
"It's . . . complicated," Liam said. "Don't worry about it, though. We'll clear Lincoln's name. That I don't doubt."  
  
Flick wished she could say the same. Liam hadn't been there during the trial. He hadn't seen the jury turn a blind eye. Even those who might have benefitted from Fossor's downfall, were too afraid to speak up because of what he could have done to their names. In the month since then, no one had spoken up, and there was no one Flick could talk to.  
  
She missed her family.

****

  
At least she had Sands and Scout. Following dinner, they had retreated to the twins' bedroom, taking the time to know each other. It started with random stuff that had happened at school, then sharing stories about their dads—mothers clearly being a sensitive subject to everyone in the room—and soon, they were talking about basically everything. Flick had even told them about Miranda, her one good friend in Wyoming before she'd been forced to move.  
  
Soon enough, though, the trip caught up with Flick. It was when she yawned for the fourth time in a minute that Sands suggested they call it a night. Flick had no reason to disagree, and it wasn't much later that she was settled into the couch provided to her.  
  
Out of curiosity, she opened her phone and checked her email. It was empty. Maybe it was dumb for her to have expected someone from school to email her. After all, it wasn't like she'd ever talked to anyone outside of classes.  
  
There was Miranda, but she was busy enough at some private school near where her mom had gotten a job opportunity. Flick didn't need to bother her with her problems.  
  
With a sigh, Flick closed the browser. It was then that she noticed the red eye app had returned to her phone.  
  
 _What the hell? I could've sworn I deleted this._  
  
Whatever. She deleted it again, checking her phone's settings just to make sure it was gone. With that done, she finally turned her phone off and put her head down.  
  
She was asleep within moments.

****

  
Chains. That was all she could register. They rattled in every direction, nearly drowning out the sound of dripping water.  
  
 _Where . . .am I?_  
  
She sat up, making the chains grow louder. When she looked down, she realized she was wearing prison attire, and that her arms had been chained together.  
  
 _What the hell?!_  
  
She gasped, bolting out of the bed, if the hard plank of wood could even be called that. Her eyes darted to the bars keeping her locked inside. They were even chained together, making escape impossible.  
  
Outside her cell stood two little girls in prison uniforms, wearing identical eye patches. One had her hair in a braid, while the other had buns. The one with buns seemed amused by Flick's alarm.  
  
The room itself was surprisingly colorful, blue and bronze clashing together. It was also lined with cells identical to Flick's, creating a circle.  
  
Flick took a step forward, intent on demand answers. She was cut off when a force jerked her back. She spun around, eyes wide when she noticed the ball and chain attached to her leg.  
  
 _Stay calm Flick. Just be a reporter and you can find out what's going on. You've read up on how to deal with a hostage situation before._  
  
Not that this seemed like a normal hostage situation. Still, she kept her breathing leveled, and her gaze locked forward.  
  
After a few awkward steps, she was able to reach the bars. It was then that she noticed the desk in the middle of the room, with an old man sitting at it. Flick found her control over her breath faltering in his presence. It was a fair response to seeing someone with curled hands, bloodshot eyes, and a freakishly long nose.  
  
"Trickster," he spoke in a voice that almost sounded too deep to be human. "Welcome to my Velvet Room."  
  
Flick had had enough. She jerked against the bars. "What is this? Let me out!" A flash of motion had her jerk her hands back, just before the girl with buns slammed a baton against the cell. Sparks flew from it, and Flick took a step back.  
  
"Silence, inmate! Show our master some respect!"  
  
"The you in reality is currently fast asleep," the other girl spoke. "You are only experiencing this as a dream."  
  
"You're in the presence of our master, stand up straight!" the aggressive one ordered. Flick obeyed her, if only to avoid being on the receiving end of that baton.  
  
"Welcome," the so called master said. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those that are bound by a contact may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well."  
  
Flick's head was spinning.  _Contact? A place between mind and matter? Am I hallucinating?_  Before she could even think to ask, Igor kept speaking.  
  
"I summoned you here to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well."  
  
Well  _that_  was ominous. And not exactly encouraging from people who had kidnapped her. She made to jerk on the bars again, only stopping when the feisty girl glared at her.  
  
Igor seemed to be waiting on something. It looked like Flick would be playing the reporter after all.  
  
"Important matters?"  
  
"Still, this is a surprise," Igor said, as if she hadn't even spoken. He was some kind of asshole, wasn't he? "The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such."  
  
Okay,  _what_?! Was he saying  _she_  had created this prison? How did that make any sense?!  
  
"You truly are a 'prisoner' of fate," Igor said, sounding far too amused. "In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you."  
  
"Ruin?" Flick asked. If he was about to say she'd die in this prison, she'd try clawing her way out.  
  
"I speak of the end of everything."  
  
Oh, that was worse.  
  
"However," Igor continued, "there is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be 'rehabilitated.' Rehabilitated toward freedom. That is the only means to avoid ruin. Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?"  
  
"I'd rather avoid ruin," Flick said. What else was there to say?  
  
"Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation." Igor said. Then, when the twins turned around, "Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. To your right is Caroline; to your left Justine. They serve as wardens here."  
  
 _Wardens._ Igor's talk of ruin had distracted her from just where she was, but at the reminder, she tugged at the bars. Was she stuck here as long as they willed it?  
  
Caroline, clearly the more arrogant of the twins, smirked. "Try and struggle as hard as you like."  
  
"The duty of wardens is to protect inmates," Justine said. "We are also your collaborators." She paused. "That is, if you remain obedient."  
  
Flick gripped the bars tighter. It was just a dream. None of this was real. She just had to wake up!  
  
She jumped when a bell rang out, losing her grip on the bars. She moved one hand over her heart and took deep breaths.  
  
"Time's up," Caroline said. "Now hurry up and go back to sleep!"  
  
Flick had no choice but to obey.

****

  
_That_ , Flick thought upon waking up,  _was a weird dream._  
  
No, really, what the hell had that been? She'd had weird dreams before, but nothing quite like that. And she could almost recall that dream perfectly, too. The one time she had a vivid dream, and it was  _that_.  
  
Flick shook it off, pushing herself off the couch. School would be starting soon, and seeing as she was transferring in a month after classes had started, being late on her first day would not be the best impression to make.  
  
"Oh, morning, Flick," Sands called from the kitchen. "You ready for school? There's bagels in the cafeteria if you want to just get going."  
  
Honestly, she could use something else to occupy her thoughts to get her mind off that dream.  
  
"Sure," Flick said. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be ready."  
  
It was time for her first day of Junior year in Brooklyn.  
  
She just hoped her dream would be the only weird thing to happen that day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flick stumbles upon her first palace.

**Chapter 2  
**

Thank goodness for small blessings. While Flick wasn't used to walking to school, having taken the bus back in Wyoming, it wasn't much more than a ten minute walk from her apartment to Crossroads Academy. It didn't even feel that long, thanks to the constant chatter she had with Sands and Scout (mostly Sands, but Scout would still listen and occasionally comment through her twin).  
  
Crossroads looked like any other high school. It was a brick building with green roofs, matching the color of their turtle mascot. In front of the school was a large field. It was early enough that some students were hanging out on that field, throwing balls and frisbees back and forth or just sitting and talking on the grass.  
  
One of those sitting looked their way. And wow, was she seriously a student and not some model? She had flawless skin, beautiful, long black hair, and, well, she was stacked. Then there was the fact that she was several inches taller than Flick, who was already an inch or two taller than Sands and Scout herself.  
  
The boy she was talking to had light skin and dark green hair in a buzz cut. He had just finished laughing at something she said, when he noticed her gaze on them. Once he turned in their direction, recognition shone in his eyes, and he waved. Sands raised a hand in greeting, while Scout gave a full wave to match the boy's.  
  
"Do you know them?" Flick asked.  
  
Sands nodded. "That's Avalon and Torv. I don't know them as well as Scout." She smirked. "Believe it or not, Scout spends plenty of time with Avalon."  
  
Scout shrugged, not bothering to deny it. Good to know she had friends outside of her twin. How she'd made them without talking much, Flick wasn't sure. Though for all she knew, Scout opened up around people she was more familiar with.  
  
"I'm sure we'll see them during lunch," Sands said. "For now, I'm starving. Let's get those bagels we were talking about."  
  
It was a bit of a walk from the entrance to the cafeteria. Thanks to that, Flick got a good look at the school, and . . . it was a school. Some hallways had trophies in glass cases, drawings made by students were on the walls, there were different colored tiles on the floor, and that was about it. The lockers were tall, at least, no one having to share a column with someone else.  
  
The cafeteria was much the same, filled with those round tables that had the uncomfortable seats connected to them. There was a mural of a boy with black hair reading a book in a leather chair, painted by the English Honor Society, so that was sort of neat.  
  
"Plain bagels good with you?" Sands asked.  
  
"Do they have blueberry?" Flick asked.  
  
"I think so," Sands said. "I'll check."  
  
Rather than sit at one of the empty tables, Flick decided to follow Sands to the counter. Running it was a dark skinned woman with pale hair.  
  
The woman smiled upon seeing them, and Flick had to repress a shiver seeing it. The smile felt too forced, like the kind a clown would wear.  
  
"Good morning, Sands," the woman said. "Do you want your usual?"  
  
"Hello, Ms. Charmeine," Sands said. "Yeah, but could you also get a blueberry bagel for her?" She pointed at Flick as she asked.  
  
Charmeine's gaze fell on Flick, and while the smile remained, the woman's eyes narrowed slightly. She glanced up and down Flick's body a bit too long to be comfortable.  
  
"Coming right up," Charmeine said, and Flick was able to sigh with relief when the woman turned her back to them. To distract herself from, well, whatever that was, she pulled out her phone. And immediately frowned.  
  
_That app again. What is this thing?_ Once again, the app expanded on its own, taking up her screen.  
  
Before she could delete the app once more, Charmeine turned back toward them with her hand outstretched. "Here you are."  
  
"Thank you," Sands said, handing Flick her bagel. Flick took it absentmindedly, still frowning at her phone.  
  
Scout was waiting for them at the cafeteria entrance, and once they met up with her, all three of them moved out to the hallway to eat, Sands saying she'd rather lean against a wall than use the tables.  
  
"So," Sands said. "Ms. Charmeine. Weird, huh?"  
  
"It wasn't just me?" Flick asked.  
  
Sands joined Scout in sitting against the wall, Flick opting to stand. "Yeah. She's friendly, but she talks with us a bit too much, you know? It's like she wants to know everything that's going on in the school."  
  
"Think she's a child predator?" Flick asked.  
  
Sands snorted. "I doubt it. She just doesn't give off that sort of vibe, you know? She's strange, but not really threatening."  
  
Flick took a bite of her bagel while she formulated her response. After swallowing, she said, "Well, you still wouldn't catch me near an abandoned graveyard with her."  
  
As soon as Flick finished speaking, she was hit with a wave of nausea. She grunted, clutching her head and trying to keep that single bite of bagel from coming back up. Colors swirled at the edge of her vision.  
  
Sands groaned beside her. "Ugh, my head. What . . . was . . . that?"  
  
"Sands?" Flick asked, moving her hand away from her face. When she did, she gasped.  
  
Gone were the brightly lit, walled hallways. They had been replaced with an open field filled with grass that reached Flick's ankles. In the back of her mind, she was grateful for the brown boots she wore. More pressing, however, were the other objects that littered the field.  
  
Sands swallowed. "That's . . . that's a lot of graves."  
  
No kidding. It seemed for every locker that had been in the school, there was now a stone grave. It was too dark to make out any writing on the graves from a distance, the sky above them being pitch black and missing a moon.  
  
"My comment before," Flick put in despite herself, "about an abandoned graveyard? That wasn't supposed to be taken seriously."  
  
Both the twins gave her a look at that, which, fair. Now wasn't really the time.  
  
"What do we do?" It took Flick a moment to realize it had been  _Scout_  who asked the question.  
  
"I—I don't know." Flick stammered. This had to be a prank or something, right? Except that didn't make any sense given what she was witnessing. No, it'd be best to take this at face value for now.  
  
"Hang on a minute." Sands squinted, before rising and making her way to one of the graves. Flick and Scout were close behind.  
  
"This name," Sands said, pointing at the grave. "I recognize it. That's Jazz's name." She moved the next grave over. "And this is Malcolm."  
  
"Our classmates?" Flick guessed. A chill ran down her back when Sands nodded.  
  
Flick took a few deeps breaths before she could get myself under control. "Alright," she said. "There's no point in staying here. There has to be an exit somewhere, right?"  
  
"T-there has to be," Sands said. "You lead?"  
  
She didn't want to, exactly, but sure. Why not? They started walking, rows upon rows of graves seeming to follow them. How large was this place?  
  
After a few minutes of walking, Flick got her answer. They had reached the end of the graveyard, though the sight beyond wasn't exactly encouraging.  
  
The field continued to stretch on for what seemed like miles. Not that it mattered, since a chain link fence blocked their path, far too tall to climb.  
  
"This is a joke," Sands whispered. "It has to be."  
  
Flick was so focused on the gate, that she felt, more than saw, Scout stiffen behind her.  
  
"Down!" Scout shouted. The sudden yell nearly made Flick jump into the air, but the warning registered just in time, and she threw herself to the ground alongside Scout.  
  
Sands wasn't so lucky, and the wave of fire that Flick and Scout had narrowly avoided collided directly with her chest, knocking her off her feet with a scream.  
  
"Sands!" Flick yelled. She scrambled to check on her friend, only to stop when a gun barrel was pressed against her forehead. Her eyes widened, and she slowly raised her hands above her head.  
  
On the other end of the barrel was an outlandishly dressed figure. She looked like something straight out of a cartoon, with her black, skin tight suit, and a cape of the same color billowing behind her. To top off the ridiculous outfit was a black military helmet.  
  
"Now what might this be?" the woman pondered. Wait a minute. Flick recognized that voice.  
  
"Ms. Charmeine?!" Sands blurted before she could. The girl gasped after saying that, clutching her stomach. Seeing this, Scout supported her, clutching her sister's shoulder while both girls stayed on their knees.  
  
"You're intruding on my domain," Charmeine growled. It was then that Flick got a look at her eyes. They were glowing  _yellow_.  
  
And she still had a pistol pressed against Flick's forehead.  
  
"I know you kids have no functional brains in those thick skulls of yours," Charmeine continued. "But to come here? To risk  _my_ wrath?" She tutted. "That was a mistake."  
  
Two figures came out of the shadows behind her, identical in appearance. Liches. They looked like fucking liches, wearing creepy cloaks and skeleton masks. That, and they were carrying scythes. What the hell was going on?  
  
Blessedly, Charmeine pulled the gun away from Flick's forehead. She glanced over at Sands, whose face was still scrunched up in pain.  
  
"Of course it would be you who stumbled your way in here."  
  
"W-what are you talking about?" Sands grunted. "Why are you dressed like that? What sort of sick joke is this?"  
  
Charmeine shook her head, giving Sands the sort of look a disappointed parent would have. "Do your questions ever stop? Your curiosity is far too dangerous to leave unchecked. Was getting you kicked off the Philosophy Club not enough?"  
  
Sands' eyes widened. "That was  _you_?"  
  
"Of course." Charmeine scoffed. "What did you think would happen, sticking your nose into places where it doesn't belong?"  
  
What were they talking about? Had Sands done something to piss off Charmeine? Is that why she had brought them to this . . . whatever it was?  
  
"You're crazy," Sands said. "You're . . . you're actually fucking nuts."  
  
Flick didn't have time to react before Charmeine lunged forward, striking Sands across the face hard enough that the crack echoed throughout the graveyard. Scout blurted her name, fumbling to check over her now collapsed sister.  
  
Charmeine turned to her bodyguards, or whatever they were. "Kill them."  
  
What?! Flick bolted to her feet, putting herself between the twins and the psycho bitch. What she was planning, not even she knew. But they were her first real friends since Miranda. She couldn't let them die!  
  
Charmeine scowled at her. "Who the hell are you? Oh, right, the new transfer. You chose your new school poorly, girl. Even if you didn't die here, you would just die with the rest of them at the end of the month."  
  
Flick didn't need to be a reporter in training to know what Charmeine was implying. That she was one only made the meaning behind Charmeine's words even more obvious.  
  
"You," Flick gasped. "You're going to kill everyone at the school?! How—wha—are you  _insane_?"  
  
Of course she was. That much was obvious by now. Flick glared at the woman, for all the good it would do.  
  
"No one," Charmeine hissed, "stand their ground against  _me_  with a look on their face like that and survives!" An explosion rang out following her words. No, not an explosion. A gunshot. Flick looked down toward the hole in her side, blood pouring from it onto her clothes and the ground. It didn't seem real.  
  
Except it was, if the pain was anything to go by. Flick fell to her knees with a scream, the wound burning.  
  
"Flick!" The shout came from both Sands and Scout.  
  
"Finish them!" Charmeine snapped. "Wipe away all traces of their defiance."  
  
Flick closed her eyes. It couldn't end like this. Could it?  
  
" _This is truly an unjust game."_ The voice rang through Flick's head, light and feminine. Her eyes remained closed, but she still saw a shape fluttering before her. A butterfly?  _"Your chances of winning are almost none. But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you."_  
  
Flick opened her eyes. Any chance. She would take it.  
  
" _What is this?"_ Another female voice, though this one sounded mature and amused.  _"You're not simply going to let corruption like this stand, are you?"_  
  
"No," Flick whispered. "I can't.  
  
" _That's what I thought."_  With those words, Flick's head felt as though it had cracked open. A pain unlike any she had felt before slammed down on her skull. She screamed.  
  
" _Those in power lie for their own gain, smother the truth you so desperately seek. They get away with countless, awful deeds._ " The words rang through her mind, overriding even her own screams. The pain only seemed to increase though, her whole body screaming in agony. Flick gripped the grass beneath her, eyes nearly bulging out of her head, as her shouts continued to rage on.  
  
" _The corruption that comes with power cannot stand! Rise up and fight against it with your own, true strength!"_  
  
With each word, the pain in Flick's skull only got worse. Despite that, she climbed to her feet, stumbling a step forward.  
  
"What are you doing?" Charmeine demanded. "Guardians, kill her now!"  
  
Flames filled Flick's vision, and when they vanished, a mask had taken up her face. It was a simple thing; a gold, plastic oval hiding her nose and mouth, while still giving her room to breath.  
  
" _I am thou, thou art I."_ Flick's hands gripped the sides of it, tugging. The first pull did nothing. Neither did the second. It was as though the mask was part of her face. But Flick didn't stop. She only yanked harder.  
  
" _It's time to fight against the evil in the world. Even if such a task bounds thou for life!"_  
  
One last tug, and Flick tore the mask off with a bellow. A torrent of blood came loose from where it had once been, washing over the field.  
  
At least, for a second. The instant the mask was free, Flick felt the power within her, and she couldn't help but smirk. Her eyes glew, and a blue fire spread across her face. Flick heard the voice—her Persona—cackling as the flame engulfed her.  
  
Charmeine's cockiness from earlier was long gone. She scrambled back, eyes wide, practically throwing her guards in front of her.  
  
As the flames faded, Flick could feel the changes. Her casual clothes were gone, replaced with what could be best described as a spy's outfit. A crimson jacket dress with gold buttons. Flat, lace-up boots which matched the dress and reached her knees. Golden leggings, the same color as both her mask and the silk gloves she now wore.  
  
The changes were more than just physical. There was a connection to the being which loomed over them all, still shrouded in blue flames. Flick recognized it as the red and gold fox from the incident on the street. Now, it hovered in the air with a grin, at least twice as tall as Flick and wide enough to match the proportions of a normal fox. The Persona was surrounded by chains, which flowed around it as though they were always meant to be there.  
  
All the pain Flick had felt before vanished, which she proved by rushing forward. Charmeine didn't have time to react before Flick kicked the gun out of her hand. It flew across the field, landing in the darkness.  
  
"You know," Flick growled, glaring at Charmeine, "I'm real sick of people flaunting their power over me. Except you had to take it a step further. Well, if you think I'm going to let you kill my classmates, you're wrong. I'm done standing by while evil scours the world!"  
  
Charmeine regained some of her composure, crossing her arms with a sneer. "Brave words, but they mean nothing. Guardians! No more delaying!"  
  
The liches dissolved into puddles of black goo, then reformed into floating jack-o-lanterns.  
  
"Watch what we can do when we fight back!" Flick exclaimed. "Sweep them off their feet! Kuma Lisa!"  
  
By her command, Kuma Lisa unleashed Kouha on one of the jack-o-lanterns, killing it instantly. It dissolved into nothing.  
  
Seeing its friend get destroyed, the second monster swiped at Flick. The blow stung, but it wasn't nearly enough to slow her down. If anything, it just put the creature within her range. A bladed staff materialized in her hand, and she swung. Once, twice, three times. The jack-o-lantern screamed and fell back.  
  
That didn't mean much. With Kuma Lisa's encouragement in her ear, Flick unleashed another Kouha, finishing the monster before her.  
  
In the silence that followed, Flick noticed Charmeine had fled. Dammit.  
  
"Dude . . ." The hushed voice was Sands. "What  _was that_?"  
  
"I don't know for sure," Flick said, turning her way. "But we should try and escape while we have the chance. Can you stand?"  
  
Sands nodded, though she grimaced as she rose, and Scout had to support her for a moment.  
  
"I think that attack burned my stomach," Sands said through gritted teeth. "We may have to take it slowly."  
  
Flick examined the new presence in her mind. "Maybe not." With a simple command, she had Kuma Lisa cast Dia on Sands. The girl immediately perked up with wide eyes.  
  
"That thing can  _heal_ too?"  
  
"Apparently," Flick said. "Now come on. Let's get moving.  
  
"I doubt Charmeine has given up on killing us just yet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those wondering, Kuma Lisa is a fox in Bulgarian and Russian folklore, commonly playing the role of . . . the trickster. The opportunity was too good to pass up.
> 
> For now, Kouha and Dia are her only skills.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flick escapes the graveyard, only to run into more problems.

**Chapter 3**

  
The worst part about the graveyard was just how  _silent_  it was. There were no animals or insects making noise in the distance, no crunching of grass from guards, not even a gust of wind. If there was  _anything_ making noise, then Flick could have at least prepared herself for a fight. Especially with Kuma Lisa at her side.  
  
Flick had never known how to fight before, but thanks to her bond with her Persona, the ability now came naturally. Not only that, but her Persona had two abilities—the arts she'd used in battle. Kouha, from what she could tell, was a light damage bless attack. Did that mean there were other types of damage? Her weakness seemed to be curse attacks, so it felt likely.  
  
Far more useful was Dia, being a healing skill. Sands and Scout couldn't fight, so Flick was going to need the ability to patch herself up.  
  
At the reminder of her friends, Flick glanced back at them. "Are you two doing okay?" she asked.  
  
They exchanged a glance. "Been better," Sands said. "But we're not about to freak out, if that's what you're wondering."  
  
"Glad some of us aren't," Flick sighed. "What if this place doesn't have an exit?"  
  
"Can't your . . . thingy make one for us?" Sands asked.  
  
"My 'thingy,'" Flick made sure Sands could see her air quotes, "has only been around for ten minutes. Besides fighting those creatures, I have no idea what else I can do."  
  
"Call." The quiet suggestion came from Scout, who was pulling out her own phone.  
  
"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Flick said. "Though considering our luck, I doubt we'd have servi—what the hell?"  
  
"What?" Sands asked, leaning over Flick's shoulder to read her phone. "Oh."  
  
That stubborn app. Flick hadn't deleted it before falling into this mess. Now, the app was loaded, with three different words on a crimson background.  
  
Charmeine. School. Graveyard.  
  
"We said this stuff earlier," Flick realized. "Did . . . did the app bring us here?"  
  
Both twins gave her a look at that. "An app?" Sands asked. "Really? How does that make any sense."  
  
Flick spread her arms out, encompassing the graveyard surrounding them. "None of this makes sense! But I don't know where this app came from, and the phrases on it at least line up."  
  
Sands frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Charmeine is the ruler of this place . . . I think," Flick said. "And it's a graveyard. The only word missing is school, but seeing as we were at school before all this happened, I think it's safe to say that the app turned the school into some twisted graveyard where Charmeine rules."  
  
"Our Charmeine?" Again, Scout. Flick still wasn't used to hearing her voice.  
  
"I don't know." Flick sighed. "We can figure it out once we escape."  
  
"In the movies, there's usually some hidden passageway in the gravestones," Sands said. "Maybe we can find one here?"  
  
Flick glanced her way with a raised eyebrow. "No matter how weird this gets, it's not a movie," she said. To prove her point, she walked up to one of the gravestones, pressing her hand against against it. "I don't we could even get one of these things to budge."  
  
She pushed, making the top half of the gravestone pop off.  
  
Just as Flick's eyes widened, the ground beneath them shook. "Get back!" she called, leaping back herself. There was a sound of stone slotting into place, then the shaking intensified. Flick grit her teeth, gripping the ground for stability. Next to her, Sands and Scout were doing the same.  
  
When the shakes finally ended, Flick's head was spinning. "Is everyone okay?" she asked, pushing herself off the ground.  
  
"Dizzy," Sands groaned. "What happened."  
  
All at once, they turned to where the gravestone had been. In front of it was a massive hole . . . leading to an underground cavern.  
  
"You were saying?" Sands asked with a smirk.  
  
Flick flushed. "Shut up." She tiptoed toward the hole. "It's . . . pretty dark in there." Despite her words, she crawled deeper in. Getting closer, she could see there was a larger cavern further down, with light coming from it. With one glance behind her to make sure Sands and Scout were following, she crept that way.  
  
 _Please don't collapse please don't collapse please don't collapse._  
  
It didn't collapse, but Flick still couldn't help but shiver. The room was lit by torches, spread out enough that though the room was around eight feet tall, both the stone roof and dirt floor were lit. The walls, however, were close enough together that two of them would barely be able to traverse it shoulder to shoulder. This was just one of many hallways, Flick realized, all branching out from each other.  
  
Oh, and there were the skulls making up a large portion of the walls.  
  
"What the fuck?" Sands blurted. "What kind of horror shit is this?"  
  
Flick had done research on catacombs in the past, so she knew skulls in the walls was a common sight in them. Still, she drew the line at all the walls being made up of skull more than rock.  
  
"How many people . . ." she whispered, unable to take her wide eyes away from the sight.  
  
"M-maybe it won't be so bad further in?" Sands suggested.  
  
Their answer came in the sound of jangling bones. A sound that was coming from the right hallway, getting closer to them. Looking that way, Flick could barely make out a skeleton's figure. Seeing it, her heart almost leapt out of her chest.  
  
"Run," Flick whispered. But before they could even begin to turn the other way, the jangling bones sound came from the other hallway. Despite only just now hearing it, Flick could tell the other skeleton was closer.  
  
 _Crap._ She took a step backward, as if that would do any good. All that happened was her back got pressed against a collapsed doorway, which might have once been the actual entrance to the tomb.  
  
Flick gripped her mask, which seemed to return to her face whenever she dismissed her Persona. Which meant tearing it off would summon her Persona again. She wasn't sure how strong she was compared to two skeletons, but she wasn't about to stand down and die.  
  
It was then that Flick noticed her phone lighting up. Looking down, her breath caught in her throat. It couldn't be that easy, could it?  
  
"Sands, Scout!" Flick called. "Get beside me!"  
  
They did so, and an instant later, Flick pushed the button that had appeared on her phone when she'd approached the entrance. The one labeled "Exit Palace."  
  
Just as Flick pressed the button, the skeletons emerged from their hallways. Immediately, they spotted teenage girls with only one fighter. Screeching, they charged.  
  
The world around Flick blurred, then went black.

****

" _You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."_  
  
The voice came from Flick's phone, and she nearly dropped it in shock.  
  
"The real world?" Sands echoed. "Wait, we're back at school?"  
  
Hearing that, Flick looked around her. They were in the same yard from that morning, near the spot where Avalon and Torv had been talking. Thankfully, there were no people around them.  
  
It was a small blessing, seeing as the sun was high enough that it had to be at least noon by now. All three of them seemed to realize the fact at the same time, glancing at each other with wide eyes.  
  
"Maybe we should run while we have the chance?" Flick asked. "Say that one of us was feeling sick?"  
  
Before either of them could respond, a stern, male voice came from behind them.  
  
"What are you three girls doing out here?"  
  
Flick turned around, her stomach sinking. The man who had spoken looked to be in his forties, with straight brown hair that went just past his shoulders, and a nose that looked a bit crooked. He also had that stern face every authority figure had when they were wondering how severe of a punishment they should dish out.  
  
"Principal Ruthers!" Sands exclaimed. "We can explain!"  
  
"Oh?" Ruthers asked with a raised eyebrow. "I would like to know what reason you would have for missing three of your classes. Your father was unable to provide any when we called him."  
  
Flick saw the way Sands and Scout winced, and she couldn't help but join them. Liam was going to be furious.  
  
"All three of you come with me," Ruthers said. "You can explain yourselves in my office. Then, we'll talk about your punishment."  
  
Great. Was it too late to head back to the graveyard?

****

Obviously, they couldn't tell Ruthers about the graveyard. Either he'd assume they were lying, or that they were insane. So instead, Flick came up with an excuse of realizing she lost her phone, and the other two left school to look for it with her.  
  
They had lunch detentions for the rest of the week. And an after school detention on Friday.  
  
It wasn't until after school that they got the chance to talk. They met up in a halfway by the office, leaning against some of the vacant lockers. Students hurried past them, most in the path of the buses to head home.  
  
"That sucked," Sands said. Those were the first words out of her mouth. "That really sucked."  
  
"The part where we almost died, or the part where we got detentions?" Flick asked. There was a small worry in the back of her mind that the students walking by might listen in, but chances were they'd be drowned out by the conversation around them. Besides, no one would understand what they were talking about.  
  
"Both," Sands said. Scout nodded in agreement.  
  
Flick sighed. "I doubt we're done dealing with either of those situations. You two heard what Charmeine said, right?"  
  
Sands shuddered. "Do you really think she could . . ." She trailed off, glancing at the people walking past. "Do that?" she finished.  
  
Before Flick could respond, a sharp voice spoke up, making Flick jump.  
  
"Mason. Scout." It was the black haired girl from earlier—Avalon. She strutted over to them, an unreadable expression on her face. "Where were you today? I saw you make it to school this morning."  
  
Scout froze like a deer in headlights. Sands, meanwhile, stuttered out a response.  
  
"Oh, er, we were, uh, l-looking for Flick's phone?" Sands jerked a thumb in Flick's direction.  
  
Avalon turned toward Flick with narrowed eyes. "Who're—" she started to say. "Wait, right. You're staying with them."  
  
"Yup," Flick confirmed, holding out a hand. "Flick. You're Avalon, right?"  
  
Well, she shook the offered hand, so that was something. "So where were you today? Really," she added, speaking over Sands' attempt to repeat herself.  
  
"A-a graveyard?" Sands asked. Flick fought the urge to facepalm.  
  
Avalon, meanwhile, shook her head and sighed. "Whatever. Have you at least seen Trice anywhere?" She spoke the name in the same tone one would use when describing gum stuck to their shoe.  
  
"He's not with Torv?" Sands asked.  
  
"If he was, I wouldn't be looking for him," Avalon said flatly. "He did the usual shit during lunch—glare at me until he mustered up a spine to call me a bitch. Haven't seen him since."  
  
Sands winced. "He's still mad at you?"  
  
Avalon rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Torv was at least able to drop things and move on, but his  _brother_  has to act like I killed someone."  
  
"Um," Flick raised her hand. "Can someone explain for the clueless one in the back?"  
  
Sands looked toward Avalon. When the other girl nodded, she explained. "Torv asked Avalon out, she rejected him. Trice is holding a grudge."  
  
I blinked, looking back and forth between the two of them. "Wait. So Torv is the one who she said no to, but his brother is the one being an asshole about it? How does that make sense?"  
  
"It doesn't," Avalon said flatly. "He sticks around us to be near his brother, but he wasn't at the usual spot to leave school. So now I'm stuck waiting on him. Look, I need to get back to Torv. Wherever you three were today, you should probably show up to your classes tomorrow. You know how Ruthers gets."  
  
Sands nodded so fast, Flick almost missed it. "Trust me, we know."  
  
With that, Avalon turned and walked away, though not before glancing in Scout's direction. Scout stared back, some silent communication passing between them, before Avalon was gone.  
  
Flick put a hand to her head. "I've had enough excitement for the day. Let's talk more about this whole Charmeine thing tomorrow, okay? I need a night to sleep on it."  
  
Thankfully, the twins agreed. And as they started to walk home, Flick noticed just how  _exhausted_ she was. It was like she had run a marathon after waking up at 3:00 AM, and then taken a huge test. Hopefully it was awakening to her Persona that made her so tired, and not the palace itself.  
  
She had a feeling they would be returning there soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly unsure how I feel about this chapter. Being the awkward stage where the adventure hasn't really started yet, but there's still events that need to be addressed, it took me a while to get the right words down. Hopefully next chapter will be easier to write.


End file.
